Just finished my morning practice. Must have done 50 chaturanga pushups, boat pose for 20 breaths, held warrior 2 until I was shaking all over….killer workout!! Problem is, yoga it ain’t.
Sure you are doing yoga poses, getting that yoga butt and improving your health, but you are not doing yoga. You are doing 1980’s aerobics with yoga-type poses. Don’t misunderstand, there is nothing wrong with a really good workout, but yoga done right offers so much more.
Yoga means to join your physical self with your higher, spiritual self. To experience and explore creation outside of our 3-dimensional existence. This is reality that exists at a higher vibration than what we are typically able to experience. All of existence, including our 3-dimensional world, are tied together by geometry and an infinite range of vibrational frequencies. Quantum physics backs this up. Existence, all of it, is nothing more than energy waves vibrating at different speeds. The slower the vibration, the more condensed the energy. “Matter” is condensed energy formed through geometric building blocks we call atoms and molecules. All of this has been known in ancient yoga teachings for thousands of years. Science is just now catching up.
What does any of this have to do with yoga poses and getting that killer butt? The poses put your body in geometric positions that facilitate the flow of energy – prana in yogi talk. When an asana (poses) practice is done properly, slowly with your breath, mindfulness and intention, the energy that flows in and around us intensifies and the vibration increases. The energy is always there, we are just consciously interacting with it.
Yes, moving slowly from one pose to another strengthens and shapes your muscles better than using momentum to throw yourself into the next pose. However, it also sets up the flow of higher frequency energy through your extended body. Your physical and energetic body both benefit. Your higher self, the real you that occupies the Merkabah or energetic signature that surrounds your physical body, expands and brightens as the energy frequencies increase.
Still with me, but don’t believe any of this nonsense? Prove it to yourself. How do you feel after that killer workout, where you end exhausted, sopping wet and catching your breath? It feels good, no doubt. Your heart slowly stops pounding, your breath relaxes and you have a feeling of accomplishment if not relief that it is over. On to the next task of the day.
Now pay close attention to how you feel after a mindful asana practice. It can be a hard one with plenty of sweat or a slow-paced practice. It doesn’t matter. As you quiet your mind in savasana you can feel your body hum. It will hum all over. You will feel lighter, maybe even giddy. Some people call it a yoga high.
It is not endorphins, you haven’t pushed yourself that hard, but you feel a sense of peace and your whole body is humming or vibrating a little higher than before. It’s not an individual thing that only happens to those lucky few that do the poses just right, it happens to the entire class.
Still not buying it? Ever notice how the ohms before class are typically out of tune with each other, everyone in a different place? But the ohm at the end of class is always different. You can feel the vibrations sync up and resonate throughout the room. Everyone is in harmony because everyone’s vibrational frequency has increased to a higher level.
The geometry of the poses facilitates the flow of energy that is life itself. Vibrations increase and we are closer to Source. Our collective physical bodies sync up as we lessen the gap between ourselves as well as with our higher selves.
Smile. Now we are doing yoga.
Namaste.
Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer, and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out The Daily Yogi for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at blair@yogadailymountpleasant.com. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all one. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgment or offense.